Wrestling tourney returns downtown

The Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau celebrates a 15-year partnership with the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF) as the tournament kicks off in downtown Rockford today.

Rockford is the longest-running host of the IKWF youth wrestling state competition which is once again taking place at the BMO Harris Bank Center from Friday and Saturday. Approximately 1,000 top wrestlers in Illinois, boys and girls, ages 10-14 will compete for championship accolades in the tournament. Tournament details and a schedule of events can be found at ikwf.org/stateinfo.php.

“This weekend we will have been here for 15 great years. The folks at the RACVB and The BMO Harris Bank Center/RAVE have been awesome to work with and the City of Rockford has been nothing but supportive of our event,” said Gene Lee, IKWF vice president and IKWF State Championships tournament manager. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we are here another 15 years.”

In addition, RACVB announced four additional Big Wins booked for 2017 and 2018 – America’s Table Tennis Team Championships, American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) World Series, North American Fast Pitch Association (NAFA) Masters East World Series and the 2018 USA Ultimate Division III College Championships.

“It’s a very exciting time for our community as we continue to raise our game and bring an impressive lineup of elite sports tournaments to our region. Our proven track record for booking world-class tournaments and events is a result of a strategic sales and marketing formula built for success,” said Lindsay Arellano, director of sales & servicing. “The RACVB team, along with our community partners, sets goals and then finds ways to surpass them. There’s no limit to what we can achieve, especially when we’re doing it together.”

“The Rockford Park District is thrilled to be selected as the host facilities for these tournaments. Over the last few years we’ve been working to set ourselves apart from others by expanding and enhancing our world class amateur sports facilities. Today’s announcement is a big win for the Reclaiming First initiative and another step forward in making the Rockford region the amateur sports destination of the Midwest,” said Louis Mateus, General Manager of Mercyhealth Sportscore Complexes.